Sounds Mag'

Duman - Inspiring Turkish rock

Paul Kirkness — 2008-06-08T22:13:29Z

Assiduous readers will have noticed your reviewer's sudden obsession with Turkey. I work in bursts and after my interest in Greek pop-rock, I decided I should enter the world of Turkish rock. After falling in love (almost literally) with singers like Sevval Sam and Sezen Aksu - who possess truly unique voices - I decided to examine the world of rock n' roll a little more closely... It was my greatest pleasure to discover a really great band: Duman.

Let us start with the beginning... What does ‘Duman' even mean? Well, it in fact means ‘smoke' which tells you exactly about Duman's beginning. The band's first record was heavily inspired by the likes of Nirvana and Pearl Jam. Videos of the band at the time are almost confusing - were it not for the Turkish lyrics, you might even confuse the band members with an early 1990's grunge band of your choice. There is one pretty good reason for this. Kaan Tangöze, the band's singer and lead guitarist, lived in the town of Seattle during the early nineties... Meanwhile his friends Ari and Batuhan lived in Turkey and fed upon all the music produced in the USA's West coast. And this explains in large part the seemingly smoked induced compositions - mellow music that often breaks into trance-like intensities.

The first album, Eski Köprünün Altında (Under the old bridge) was released almost ten years ago and has since been followed by... almost shockingly, only two albums! However, the low number of releases is easily explained by some difficulties that were experienced along the way by the band. One good example is the fact that Kaan was pulled out for almost a year to do his military service (perhaps he should have stayed in Seattle!?).

Frankly though, the three albums are very addictive. It would clearly be a pleasure to discover their coming records and I am standing by impatiently but Duman's motto is simply ‘Quit work; Make Music'. And this is exactly how the band has pursued its existence. If you want to hear Duman, the albums are all well and good but you truly need to get your arse off your chair and see them live. The number of gigs that Duman does is almost inhuman. Their time ‘working' (i.e. actually recording stuff in a studio) is relatively limited. They truly come across as a live act... and recently the band has taken to touring the rest of Europe (and even the USA for a few dates) where the Turkish immigrants are devout fans. How could you not appreciate a band of great friends who get together and have fun like they did ten or fifteen years ago... and who happen to have been succesful enough to make a living of their music?

A compilation entitled En Güzel Günüm Gecem was released in 2007 (actually a brilliant way of getting to ‘know' the band). However, I would almost recommend you checking out the band's live album as a first-hand introduction to the world of Duman. It is so rare to hear a live recording that tells you so much about a band... Usually, the sounds are muffled and the energy is lost in the screams and roars of stoned under-age kids. Konser is a rare exception... A demonstration of Duman's abilities as a live act as well as a confirmation of the trio's (they usually play with drummers that are friends... this changes fairly frequently, hence ‘trio' for a four-man band) ability at song-writing. Key-words are dark and - paradoxically - energetic! A song like “Bu Akşam” (Tonight) is a testimony to this paradox, with Kaan singing that tonight “he drinks” on a superbly catchy rhythm.

Seriously, not understanding Turkish is not a problem. Duman is a great band that deserves to be listened to beyond boundaries, whether these be territorial or linguistic!

Big blues for 'New Labour'

Paul Kirkness — 2008-05-09T13:40:15Z

Is 'New Labour' a thing from the past?

The excentric Boris Johnson was elected mayor of London on the 4th of May with a significant majority. The man is at best a jester... As Shadow Minister for Higher Education, Johnson was quiet - breaking the silence only in order to make provocative remarks about Islam, homosexuality and even the 'collective mentality' of people in Papua New Guinea ("cannibals" and "chief killers").

I was very sorry to hear about Ken Livingston's defeat in London, a man who has drastically changed his city - most of it for the best. London is almost free of traffic following the imposition of a congestion charge (although the M25, the motorway that surrounds the city, is still the biggest parking lot in the world). Often referred to as 'Red Ken' for his left-wing beliefs, he was nonetheless mayor of a town that with the most millionaires in the world. On the other hand, poverty in London is rampant. Areas like Hackney or Stockwell (where the Brazilian electrician, Jean-Charles de Menezes was killed by police officers) have some of the lowest life expectancies in the UK. If Brixton is now attracting the citie's yuppies, racial segregation is not yet a thing of the past. Finally, the public transport system is really quite pathetic. It is one of the most expensive in the world yet its privatisation has had terrible consequences with lines like the Northern Line being down for for repairs so much of the time.

Livingstone - the man - is, of course, not free of criticism of course - he has been accused of calling a Jewish journalist from the Evening Standard a "German war criminal" and a "concentration camp guard"; he has been examined after charges of corruption were brought against him and he has made strong comments about British foreign policy that were not exactly diplomatic... Ken Livingstone was an active mayor however. He was a man of seeming conviction when it came to making his town a cleaner one. Will Boris Johnson keep up the some of the good work?

It is unlikely. Johnson is frankly a bit of a dubious character. Even Conservative journalists like Simon Heffer have referred to him as an "act" and not a politician. Supported by the British National Party as second choice for the mayoral elections, there is no doubt in my mind that his racist comments about Islam (in particular about getting "18th century on Islam's medieval ass") have made him attractive to Britain's far-right.

This election is important for London but also for the UK. Johnson became mayor only three days after local elections that saw the worst defeat of Labour in over 40 years... The economic situation is of course partially responsible for the downfall of 'New' Labour. It is also likely however that British voters do not recognise the Labour government since the departure of Tony Blair - Gordon Brown is uncharismatic, he has done little since assuming office... In my mind, Gordon Brown is possibly a large part of the problem but it is still unlikely that his departure would change the fact that 'New' Labour is no longer new at all.

Polo

The other side of Fatih Akin

Paul Kirkness — 2008-04-26T09:49:57Z

Towards the end of September last year, I wrote an article about a documentary film that I particularly enjoyed - Crossing the Bridge. This film was filmed and edited by Fatih Akin, the son of Turkish migrants who moved to Hamburg. His documentary film-making was, I argued, particularly moving because, as he explored the streets of Istanbul with Alexander Hacke, one could not but get this feeling that the author was both ‘rediscovering' home as a Turk and ‘discovering' the marvels of a city like Istanbul as a German. Auf der anderen Seite (which translates in English as ‘On the other side') is a film about confused belongings, about unsettled identities... and thus, on top of being - quite simply - a beautiful film, it is also a further reflection on the schizophrenia of being uprooted and feeling lost in a global world.

I first came accross Fatih Akin through his Gegen Die Wand. This was a film-title in German yet the stories within the movie revolved around Turkish speaking minorities living in Germany. These fictional histories also told a lot of truth it seemed to me: why else would the director, a Turkish-German himself, choose to expose the everyday difficulties of living as a constant ‘foreigner' in Germany? These issues are pushed further in Auf der anderen Seite.

I wish I could sum up the film for the viewer. I wish I could, but I will not do so per se. I run the risk of giving away important parts of a beautiful story. Let it just be said here that the themes approached in Auf der anderen Seite are incredibly varied - from death to separation, from solitude to passion and love, from militancy to abandonment. It is clear, however, that the movie's strong point lies in its ability to take the spectator on a voyage, into a world between Germany and Turkey. Filming from Hamburg's brothels to the Black Sea regions of Turkey, Fatih Akin is a transnational film-maker.

The characters of this particular film further illustrate the feeling of ‘in-betweenness'. While, the old Ali eats fried fish and drinks raki in Germany, where he has presumably spent most of his life working as a ‘Gastarbeiter' (guest-worker), his son Nejat teaches German literature in university. When he the young man settles in Istanbul, it is to work in German bookshop. On the other hand, Yeter works as a prostitute to fund her daughters' studies in Turkey, where she sends money... Yet she is approached by Islamists from Milli Görüs - a Turkish Islamist organization - who threaten her if she does not abandon the profession. And so on...

There is no obsession from Fatih Akin's part to describe what it is to have multiple roots and divided personalities but he does so superbly. What is more, he has chosen actors that are convincing - often to the brink of tear jerking. His camera work is that of a master director and his way of filming Turkey - in particular Istanbul - are particular reflective of his love for the country and its peoples.

It is rare to be certain of the future of a director but Akin has consistently showed that he is capable of doing great things - sometimes with very little. He proves over and over again that he is a super director. Auf der anderen Seite is no exception.

Polo

Cabale à Kaboul

Paul Kirkness — 2008-04-23T13:40:01Z

C'est en regardant la télévision pendant les bombardements en Afghanistan, en pleine guerre avec les Talibans, que le belge Dan Alexe a découvert l'existence de Isaac , le dernier Juif de Kaboul. C'est ainsi que le documentariste s'est rapidement mis à apprendre le persan avec l'idée de réaliser un film autour de ce ‘dernier homme'.

Sur place, la surprise est grande. La dernière synagogue de Kaboul est devenue la maison de Isaac évidemment. Mais il n'est pas seul. Depuis les Talibans, Zabulon, « l'autre » dernier Juif de Kaboul, vit littéralement au dessus de sa tête. Les deux hommes vivent l'un sur l'autre mais la situation est très compliquée. C'est ainsi que le tournage prend pour Alexe une tournure inattendue et - soyons franc - inespérée pour un documentariste. Les deux hommes se haïssent. Ils ont beau partager la même cour, chacun raconte sur l'autre les pires saloperies. Pour Zabulon, Isaac se serait converti à l'Islam pendant le régime des Talibans. En disant cela, il tend à dire à Dan Alexe qu'il ne servirait à rien de réaliser un film dans lequel apparaîtrait un ‘faux Juif'. Au rez-de-chaussée, pour Isaac, Zabulon est un alcoolique qui n'a aucun vrai respect pour les coutumes juives.

L'un vend des amulettes kabbalistiques aux locaux, l'autre leur vend de l'alcool sous forme de vin très fermenté - la fermentation se fait dans une pièce pleine de mouches et la dégustation n'a jamais l'air de vraiment ravir le réalisateur. Les deux hommes ont des relations passionnantes avec les musulmans afghans qui les entourent. Isaac perd rapidement patience quand, lorsqu'ils vend ses amulettes aux malades et aux malchanceux, ceux-ci lui demandent de répéter. Zabulon se comporte plus en ‘boss généreux', employant les petits jeunes du coin pour soigner ses vignes et transporter son matériel.

Le film a ses ‘errements'. On sent parfois que les répétitions pourraient être évités, que la ‘réflexion de fond' n'est pas clairement définie. Est-ce suffisant de filmer les deux derniers acteurs de la scène juive de Kaboul, où y a-t-il un but plus profond ? On sent que le milieu du film manque parfois de clarté ou de direction, mais cela n'enlève pas au film son côté intéressant grâce à l'originalité du tournage. Il faut préciser que le réalisateur avait tout filmé une première fois. Que son film était presque terminé et que, l'édition faite, Cabale à Kaboul aurait été sur nos écrans bien avant. Mais le pauvre s'est fait voler tout son matériel... On imagine le désespoir.

Mais Dan Alexe est repartit pour Kaboul ce qui - il faut le préciser pour le spectateur - a le mérite de faire en sorte que les personnages s'ouvrent plus facilement devant lui : ce n'est plus un inconnu venu tourné des images rapidement, mais un ami. Il parvient à nous faire aimer ces deux personnages et on sent bien toute l'affection qu'il développe pour eux.

Voilà un film qui est parfois très drôle - je repense à Isaac, un peu confus, prononçant les paroles « Allahou Akbar » - parfois bien triste. Le tournage est d'une grande humanité et fait preuve de beaucoup de courage... Pourtant, rares sont les personnes faisant preuve d'autant de courage que les deux ‘héros' de Cabale à Kaboul.

Polo

Un artiste (pas) ordinaire

Paul Kirkness — 2008-04-15T18:34:24Z

Manu Larcenet a terminé le quatrième tome de son Le Combat Ordinaire et en refermant cette bande dessinée, après avoir parcouru des yeux la dernière page on est ému, un peu changé même...

Chacune des quatrièmes de couverture des quatre tomes du Combat Ordinaire commence par "C'est l'histoire de..."

Et bien, Le Combat Ordinaire c'est l'histoire d'un jeune homme et de sa relation avec son père mourant, sa nièce, la femme qu'il aime, la mère qu'il aime tant, les anciens collègues de son père (des ouvriers menacés de licenciement), un homme au secret très lourd à porter, sa fille... C'est l'histoire d'un homme. Et sans qu'il ne soit préciser nulle part que ce soit le cas, il semblerait que ces quatre merveilleuses bandes dessinées soient en grande partie autobiographique : On ne parle pas avec autant de sincérité de quelque chose qu'on n'a pas vécu, d'émotions qu'on n'a pas vécu.

Tout au long des pages qui défilent, on est emporté dans le monde du héros, Marco. Il est travaillé par certaines choses difficiles et vois régulièrement un psychologue (bien que les premières pages du tome 1 nous présente un homme qui justement essaie de se montrer qu'il a fait son temps dans le salon des psys). Il est réceptif aux mille beautés de la nature - lieu qu'il choisit d'ailleurs d'habiter plutôt que la ville enfumée. Il aime l'art et en particulier Picasso ("parce qu'avant lui, ça rigolait pas beaucoup dans la peinture"). Il est photographe et ne se contente pas de travailler à faire des photos pour le journal du coin... Comme son environnement a un réel effet sur lui, il choisit de le lui rendre en ayant des 'causes'. Et à longueur de BD il voit ses causes, ses idées, ses rêves remis en question - souvent par ceux mêmes qu'il aurait tant aimé aider.

Larcenet m'a longtemps fait rire dans Fluide Glacial. Fut un temps où il n'y avait vraiment guère que lui qui m'intéressait parmi les autres dessinateurs... J'adorais 'Bill Baroud' et surtout, j'aimais les 'Superhéros Injustement Oubliés'... Mais Dans Le Combat Ordinaire, Larcenet n'est pas là pour amuser la galerie - bien qu'il y ait des moments vraiment très drôles. C'est une œuvre mûrement réfléchie qui vient de la tête de quelqu'un de lucide, de sensible et d'intelligent.

Jamais je n'oublierai la longue conversation entre Pablo, l'ouvrier qui s'apprête à prendre sa retraite, et Marco. Sarkozy vient d'être élu et le 'vieil' homme prend la parole... pour presque tout résumer. Un dialogue un peu alcoolisé et magnifique venant de Pablo et dont la phrase finale, au petit matin, est la suivante : "A partir de cette seconde, ce monde est à toi... Je te le remets officiellement... Maintenant, à toi de te démerder avec...". Et sur ce, le bon Pablo quitte son ancien lieu de travail, un peu ivre, un peu triste car licencié... mais plus lucide que jamais et retraité.

Au final, dans Le Combat Ordinaire, Larcenet fait preuve d'un optimisme d'une beauté rare. Le jeu des générations, le poids des secrets - tout est soulevé et retourné pour une fin belle, positive et pleine d'espoir.

Je conseille vivement la lecture de cette BD à tout le monde.

Polo

No Country for Old Men - The return of the Coen brothers

Paul Kirkness — 2008-02-04T19:24:45Z

The Coen brothers are back. And this time with a dark and violent film...

Clearly, the Coen brothers have developed a great talent for moving from style to style. After the immensely successful The Big Lebowski which was released ten years ago, Ethan and Joel Coen must have realized they were standing before a wall. Indeed, how could they ever match the genius of such a crazy, hilarious and genius film? The truth is that, from The Hudsucker Proxy through Fargo to Lebowski, the brothers from Minneapolis had gone from sparkle of genius to fountains of brilliance.

Succeeding years, in my mind, were a slight disappointment - O Brother, Where Art Though? kept with the craziness and The Man Who Wasn't There played successfully with inspirations from the past but the sparkle had gone. Not to mention Intolerable Cruelty and the appalling Ladykillers remake which, starring Tom Hanks, only succeeds in begging the question: “Why???”.

Still, it has to be recognized that in the Coen family, nothing is ever the same again. They move with ease from one genre to another and they chose their actors well. So, when I heard that the brothers had joined forces again and that this time, they were experimenting with something more violent which would have Javier Bardem as a psycho, I was very tempted to run to the nearest movie theatre and to sit myself down to what would have to be interesting. And interesting is what it was... Intriguing, weird, violent, distressing is also what it was.

Anyone expecting comedy will leave the cinema shrieking and gasping for air because, more than anything else, this film is suffocating. Set on the border between Mexico and Texas, it narrates the story of a young man, played by Josh Brolin, who is the witness to a crime scene - Mexican drug dealers have shot themselves up in a failed deal. All but one Mexican are dead and the last man standing is alive but barely. When Brolin's character finds the money, he leaves the man in the desert, wounded and desperate for water. It is the guilt that he feels later that day that will parachute this Vietnam veteran into a dark world of gruesome murder, drug-money and transnational violence. All of this, along with the Coen brothers' talent for directing creates a general atmosphere which is leads us to pant along with the characters themselves as they wander through harsh sunshine and freezing nights...

Bardem's character is nasty - I mean, really nasty - and he fills the viewer with anguish at each appearance. He plays with human lives on the toss of a coin and uses a cattle killing device (a bolt pistol) to murder his victims... He contrasts neatly with the stiff Tommy Lee Jones, an honest and ageing sheriff who finds it hard to understand what is happening to the world around him. How can the violence have escalated so drastically? What is it linked to? All these questions, he asks himself and friends around him. Is this country, still a country for old men?

A very dark movie which will leave no-one untouched...

Polo

The sounds of Istanbul - Crossing the Bridge

Paul Kirkness — 2007-09-30T16:05:27Z

When Alexander Hacke, a German bass player, reaches the thriving city of Istanbul to find musicians who will help him to compose the music of Head On, he encounters the neo-psychedelic band Baba Zula. He is asked if he will play the bass for them when their own bassist leaves the band. Filmed by Fatih Akin, this documentary is about Hacke and his personal attempts at grasping the full richness of Istanbul's musical scene.

The beauty of Istanbul is renowned. Thousands of years of history have forged one of the most impressive cities of our world, with mosques, churches, temples... The sounds of Istanbul are a witness to its diversity. People arguing in the street in Turkish, English, Kurdish or French. The sounds of buses and cars. The call to prayer five times a day. Istanbul is a thriving city and this is particularly evident in the musical scene of this huge city.

Even someone born and raised in the city will be surprised by the rich variety of musical styles present in Fatih Akin's documentary film. From the outset, we are introduced to incredible personalities, to people with more or less of a message. In a country which is regularly torn by politics, religion and the societal problems of some of its inhabitants, music is a powerful force.

The voice-overs are those of Alexander Hacke, who once was the bassist for the German experimental band Einstürzende Neubauten. However, what speaks the most for Akin is the musical sounds or indeed, the voices of those musicians who do the playing. From the crazy youngish members of Baba Zula and their self-titled 'oriental dub' to the hyper-famous Sezen Aksu, all are present here. From the high middle-class Replikas to the more working-class Nur Ceylan... From Istanbul's rock music scene with the amazing Duman, to Ceza's rapping and the more classical Selim Sesler, the musical diversity of the city is explored in amazing depth.

A particularly amazing moment is when the Kurdish singer Aynur Doğan gives a private performance to the film maker in a Turkish bath. Doğan's song is entitled 'Ehmedo' and, sung in Kurdish, it is amazingly heart-wrenching when it is understood that until not too long ago, it was forbidden for ethnic minorities and Kurds to sing in their own language. Sezen Aksu's ode to Istanbul in 'İstanbul Hatırası' is a magnificent musical moment. Aksu's voice is, as always, capable of extraordinary emotional power.

The most interesting aspect of this film for me is the fact that Fatih Akin, director of Gegen Die Wand (Head On) in 2004, is visiting Istanbul as an expatriate. Being German-Turkish himself, it becomes clear that Istanbul and Turkey are places which he feels the need to constantly (re)discover. In this masterpiece of a documentary he takes his audience through a journey of sound while, visually, the shaky camera reflects the mental state of someone who is deeply touched by what he sees.

Polo

The Steven Soderbergh touch...

arthur, Paul Kirkness — 2007-09-30T14:28:38Z

As Ocean's Thirteen was hitting the screens worldwide, we thought that the man behind the movie deserved one of our little general reviews. It is safe to say that Steven Soderbergh is one of the greatest American director's living today. He is the writer and director of such remarked films as Sex, Lies and Videotape and Out of Sight. But it is also him that we must thank for less renowned movies such as Schizopolis, Full Frontal or Kafka... Who are you Mr. Soderbergh ?

Steven was born in 1963 in Atlanta, Georgia, but his parents quickly moved to Baton Rouge, in Louisiana. It is there that he discovered film-making at the age of 15. At a time when most of his school friends were busy experimenting amazing new charm techniques on their female friends, Steven began shooting short films with second hand equipment. Sports, school and women were not really his forté... and so it was to be film-making. Amusingly enough, he claims to have been fairly poor at it at the time. And none of the results exist now for us to check that out.

When he reached the age of 23, the rock fan in him was to be rewarded. The band Yes asked him to come along and shoot a full length live performance of theirs. Steven Soderbergh was thrilled and went along with the project. In turn, at the end of 1986, he was awarded with a Grammy for the video that he had shot. Yes: 9012 Live was to be the beginning of a career which quickly strayed a little from rock and roll music. But all of the projects that Soderbergh worked on always had a little rock attitude in them.

Since the eighties, Stoberbergh has become something of a celebrity. He is the producer of over thirty movies. He has been the director of twenty of those films and his style, his touch, is highly valued world-wide. He is the central member of the small and exclusive gang of friends that include George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Sam Rockwell, Luis Guzman and Don Cheadle - among many others. But above all things, Steven Soderbergh is a genius creator and an artist.

The Yo-Yo years...

1989 was the year of the confirmation - out comes Sex, Lies and Videotape. This movie was highly acclaimed throughout the world. In it we find a strange mix of voyeurism and questioning about what it means to capture people's lives. This, Soderbergh does wonderfully in the film - and later, in every other film that he released under his name. To discuss the film without having outlined its artistic merits or the acting would almost appear sacrilegious. Indeed, James Spader appears as an extremely troubling bloke with a frightening honesty about him. And he is perfectly accompanied by a stunning Andie MacDowell. However, what one perceives immediately is the Soderbergh touch - the raw filming of the shots which could almost have been done in DV format; the lack of music and the uncomfortable silences... Sex, Lies and Videotape is nothing short of grand and deserves all the fantastic things that were said about it.

Two years later, Soderbergh decides to delve deeper into the artistic possibilities that the camera can allow. Kafka hits the world screens with Jeremy Irons interpreting the literary genius. The film is truly brilliant, with a pinch of Alfred Hitchcock and a spoonful of dark atmospheres. The fact that it is shot in black and white shows us to what extent Soderbergh can juggle with effects or the lack thereof. And the play between colour and black and white, which he does throughout the film, is particularly interesting.

As was the case with his next three movies - King of the Hill (1993), Underneath (1995) and Gray's Anatomy (1996) - the critics were not very enthusiastic about Kafka. But critics are easily disappointed after a master-piece. And Sex, Lies and Videotape left little space for fault...

Having complained bitterly that Steven Soderbergh was a one film man, a "has been" whose talents were nothing more than fluke, the media critics shut him off. And in doing so, they bypassed one of the director's wackiest and probably one of his most ingenious movies. We are talking about Schizopolis which came out the same year as Gray's Anatomy but made little or no noise at all. In it, Soderbergh directs himself and his then wife, Betsy Brantley. Together they are almost sane in the wacky world of characters like Elmo Oxygen or T. Azimuth Scwhitters... The first speaks an incredibly strange language and the second is a sort of feel-good doctor of the mind. Schizopolis was an experimental film in which Soderbergh lets loose his wildest ideas... Truly a must see for anyone who appreciates zany atmospheres and artistic madness.

The gang's all here

Soderbergh really became every Hollywood actor's dream director once he had launched the Out of Sight project. Featuring George Clooney (the beginning of a love-affair between the two men) and Jennifer Lopez (the first and last film they did together - is she really such a tough cookie on the set?), the film was released in 1998. Once again, we could hear the critics wailing. This was described as a mere little pop film launched by a strange director. How could someone who had attacked script-writing so sturdily now play with colour... How wrong these voices were. Had the critics even seen the film? Lopez was not famous then as she is now, hence one cannot assume that critics were reacting to her presence in the movie. So what made them so upset?

This is impossible for us to answer. Out of Sight is perfect in so many ways. Clooney and his acolyte the actor Ving Rhames are perfect in their roles as cool thieves with tender hearts. Non-criminal criminals in short. Don Cheadle and Isaiah Washington are extremely convincing as the opposite duo... nasty in every way. Returning to the film, one cannot but admire the filming, with its cuts, its rhythm and accelerations. All this happens on music by David Holmes which has now become a huge classic - and launched another love affair between the director and the DJ.

In order to continue our semi-chronological approach to Soderbergh, The Limey is probably one of most "indigestible" of the movies that he directed. A strong focus on its graphic was taken, the viewer can be easily put off by the cut'n'paste way of filming things that he took a liking to in Out of Sight. Here, the boundaries of the technique are pushed further yet. They come to define the style, sinking into our appreciation for Terence Stamp who is brilliantly directed on screen. It appears that, once again, ambiance is the key note to this film and the story will probably be quickly forgotten. The screen-shots and Terence Stamp's angry glaring blue eyes however, will not.

Like Jennifer Lopez, Terence Stamp never really made it into the “Soderbergh gang”. Julia Roberts, however, did in a way. He first directed her in Erin Brokovitch, a daring portrait of the woman who fought polluting multinationals to help the poorest and most endangered US citizens. Roberts doesn't shine through as being altogether that amazing in the role. However, in many scenes, the actress demonstrates a seemingly hidden talent for acting. She does show off a strong personality and an ability to let go on screen. All in all, if one excludes the positive message and the great performance by Albert Finney, the film is not one of Steven's master works. On the other hand, that very same year, Traffic was released.

We could discuss Traffic for paragraphs on end. It is a key point in Soderbergh's effect on the film industry. A truly unique piece is born, putting together a string of amazing performances on screen. The director re-casts two of his favourite actors: Guzman and Cheadle. And with them appear Michael Douglas and his wife Catherine Zeta Jones but also, and especially, Benicio del Torro. Attempting to make a list of the later works that were inspired by its story-telling techniques and visual proficiency would be a lost cause. The film is apparently 3 hours long but at no point does the viewer ever want it to end. The description of US drug-war policy is spectacular.

And there we have it. Soderbergh took a little over ten years to become the “confirmed” director that we know him to be. And in that space of time, he became acquainted with someone who would end up being a best friend, George Clooney. After Out of Sight, when one of the two came up with a project, the other would always come backing him up on production or assisting on direction. Clooney's Confessions of a Dangerous Mind and his upcoming Syrianaare but two examples of Soderbergh helping out a friend. Clooney, on the other hand became the child prodigy actor and really helped in making Soderbergh what he is today.

Soderbergh makes it big

When Ocean's Eleven was released, it was even more obvious that a gang was formed for good - Clooney did the movie for free. Brad Pitt and Don Cheadle were paid a pittance... And this allowed for Steven Soderbergh to add to the style. Matt Damon and Julia Roberts as well as Elliott Gould - once seen in the cult-classic M.A.S.H. - all appeared in what can only be described as a rare reunion of acting talents. This was reiterated in the two sequels to this original cover-film (the first Ocean's Eleven was made in 1960 with Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and Dean Martin, amongst others). It is fascinating to see how tightly knit the little community of friends became. When the second in the series was announced, Damon stopped all other activities to concentrate on Ocean's Twelve. Even Bruce Willis, perhaps jealous of all this success, makes a amusing apparition.

Even though the year 2002 is very busy for Soderbergh, he still manages to franticly colaborate on other projects. It seems that the synergy with George Clooney in Out of Sight was meant to last. Clooney's brilliant first feature Confessions of a dangerous mind has our busy man as excutive producer. The collaborations only start to unfold.

In Solaris Clooney and Natascha McElhone are reunited in an adaptation of Andrei Tarkovsky's 1972 classic, Solaryis. Both actors later claimed that the filming had been extremely intense with Soderbergh insisting on reaching perfection in every shot. Indeed, the task of adapting such a master-film must have been extremely challenging. Altogether, Soderbergh's efforts were not in vain. His version is swept with dream-like imagery and transports the viewer into a parallel world. Once again, Soderbergh exhibits his talent for non-conventional film making.

Released in the same year, Full Frontal is another one of Soderbergh's hilariously weird movies which attracted little attention from the media - Clooney wasn't in it. Could that be the reason?

Back to small(ish) productions

As a crack addict craving for his drug, Sodebergh still can't get enough. He might be competing with Mike Patton to be the busiest/most active artist on the plant. This year round, he's, once again, collaborating with Clooney on Unscripted.

Unscripted is an HBO series that pictures the daunting world of Hollywood in all is finesse. The project originates from Soderbergh and Clooney, and we really couldn't be disappointed. Indeed, series is an raising form artistic expression (yeah we know its been around for a while... but its getting good), and the challenge was tricky. Yet, this unusual series lives up to our expectations, definitely stands out of the plastic shaped panoply of such format. Soderbergh doesn't actually direct (except for the pilot), so Clooney and Grant Heslov do.

Soderbergh has been active elsewhere though. Eros is a project that he decided on making with Wong Kar Wai and Michelangelo Antonioni in 2004. Each of the three eminent directors have directed a segment in this analysis of love and sex. His part of the three is called “Equilibrium” with Robert Downey Jr and received little acclaim unfortunately. In 2005, he once again directed a minimalist film with Bubble, the analysis of small-town America when a murder is committed which links three people who work in a doll factory. Once again, the film is unnoticed and flops... Yet, it is extremely clever and highly entertaining.

What's next?

Having completed Ocean's Thirteen, which was extremely successful and The Good German, which was much less successful (although Clooney was in it!) Soderbergh will not rest. Originally planned for 2007 is a documentary which he will direct about the story-teller, Spalding Gray. Gray committed suicide in January 2004. He was a true friend of Soderbergh's ever since the making of Gray's Anatomy. There, Spalding Gray had starred as himself and shown off his incredible story-telling capabilities. The two were very close and the documentary will definitely be a tribute to look out for. Finally, The Argentine (or Guerilla, the title is of yet unclear) will be a relection on the life of Ernesto 'Che' Guevarra and will reunite Benicio Del Toro with the esteemed direcor.

Will our readers please excuse the sometimes too chronological writing of this article. It is the only way of truly coming to grips with Soderbergh's genius. Indeed, it is extremely complicated to sum up in words a man who has shown himself capable of working in so many various ways with other people of great talent.

Now let us await the coming marvels of Steven Soderbergh!

La décrépitude du surdoué

Paul Kirkness — 2006-04-25T10:01:53Z

Qui a la chance de bien connaître le Brian Jonestown Massacre ? Peu de gens en vérité. Mais le documentaire de Ondi Timoner nous en fait connaître au delà de la musique. Un résumé de la vie des leaders Anton Newcombe et de Courtney Taylor, chanteur lui du très commercial Dandy Warhols.

Au cours d'un concert aux Etats-Unis cet été, mon voisin vient m'adresser la parole : « C'est génial non ? » Un peu gêné, je lui souris. « Pourtant, mon groupe préféré reste BJM ». Mais qui est BJM, je lui demande. « Quoi ? Tu ne connais pas le Brian Jonestown Massacre ?!. Et c'est ainsi que j'entendis pour la première fois le nom d'un groupe qui, pourtant a vraiment révolutionné une époque.

Le film documentaire de Ondi Timoner ne parle pas uniquement du Brian Jonestown Massacre. On y retrouve aussi un groupe bien plus connu des mass médias musicaux : j'ai nommé, les Dandy Warhols. Sur toute la durée du documentaire - qui retrace tout de même sept années dans la vie des deux groupes - c'est Courtney Taylor, chanteur guitariste des Dandy's qui narre l'histoire compliquée de ces deux groupes.

Timoner nous présente d'abord l'homme engagé, l'homme dérangé : Anton Newcombe. Chaque commentaire fait sur lui, par les membres du groupe, par les connaissances, les chroniqueurs ou les hommes de maisons de disque est enflammé. On parle de « génie », de « prophète ». Et quels qualificatifs bien trouvés pour un homme qui dit plusieurs fois être « le fils de Dieu ». L'analyse de Ondi Timoner est bien plus élaborée lorsqu'elle s'attaque au « problème » Newcombe que lorsqu'elle décide de conter l'histoire de la fabuleuse ascension des Dandy Warhols. On voit comment un homme impressionnant oscille entre respect pour un jeune groupe qu'il a aidé à faire découvrir - c'est Anton Newcombe lui-même qui lance les Dandy Warhols en acceptant de jouer live avec ceux qu'il appelle ses « amis » au début du film - et haine et jalousie. La haine, il ne sait pas la maîtriser : pour lui les Warhols ont vendu leur âme au diable du music business. Leur clip vidéo pour MTV les a salit et s'ils commencent à le snobber, lui et son groupe, c'est qu'ils en ont trop à se reprocher.

Mais c'est le mélange de jalousie et d'admiration que l'on décrypte le mieux dans ce reportage. Comment un homme aussi instinctivement musical que Newcombe n'a-t-il pas lui aussi trouvé refuge auprès d'une maison de disque ? Comment se fait-il - et ici je suis très subjectif - qu'un groupe sans distinction particulière comme les Dandy's ait réussi une ascension face à Newcombe et ses comparses pourtant beaucoup plus productifs, habiles, originaux et créatifs ? Lui-même se pose la question, mais plus le temps passe et plus Newcombe est attaqué par la drogue - dure hélas. Neuf concerts sur dix se terminent en engueulade entre les

musiciens ou entre Newcombe et un membre du public. L'homme ne peut supporter que l'on puisse mal jouer un morceau dont il est l'auteur. Il n'aime pas que l'on parle lorsqu'il joue... Et la détérioration est lente mais bien là.

Entre amour et haine les deux groupes évoluent de plus en plus à part sous la caméra de Ondi Timoner. On en vient à regretter que Newcombe n'ait pas plus été écouté. Son message est clair : « Le jour ou tu signes avec ces bâtards, tu es perdu et toute créativité s'évapore sous le poids de leurs pouvoir ». L'homme n'est pas plus politique que ça. Il est juste éternellement dépité, travaillé, rongé par le désir de partager une musique qu'on aura mis plus de dix longues années à découvrir.

S'il était possible de revenir en arrière, les commentaires sont clairs. Sans toutes les souffrances, sans toute sa schizophrénie et sa folie, sans même peut-être la drogue... Newcombe aurait-il pondu autant de bonnes choses ? Timoner nous montre le génie dans la tourmente au travail. Il est normal que Newcombe n'ait pas aimé la manière dont il est présenté dans Dig !. Pourtant, on peut y voir un réel hommage. Et on se prend à regretter le fait que le groupe ait été dissolu par tant de mauvaises relations internes, par la violence, par l'envie de succès absolu qu'ont certains... Les Dandy's sont toujours là eux. A pondre ce qu'ils pondent en compagnie des maisons de disque. Mais tandis que Taylor avait un avis sur ce qu'il écrivait au départ, on s'aperçoit que, de plus en plus, il est manipulé et docile. Qui fallait-il soutenir ?

Un documentaire puissant et intriguant. Le travail de Timoner est très réussi.

Polo

Ils existent encore - récit d'une rescapée rwandaise

Paul Kirkness — 2006-03-11T21:02:08Z

Sorti l'an dernier, le livre de Annick Kayitesi, Nous existons encore, est un témoignage important d'une survivante du génocide qui s'est déroulé au Rwanda en 1994 - dans l'indifférence générale... Dans sa biographie, elle nous parle de son expérience sur place mais aussi des difficultés qu'elle a rencontré à son arrivée en France - des difficultés qu'ont connu tout les rescapés. Un livre émouvant mais surtout, très important...

En lisant ce livre, cher lecteur de Sounds, il m'est arrivé plus d'une fois d'avoir les yeux qui picotaient sous l'effet d'une larme sournoise, prête à jaillir de mes paupières... Et pourtant, je me demande bien si tel était l'intention véritable de la jeune Annick Kayitesi.

Qu'elle veuille bouleverser, cela tient de l'évidence - on ne parle pas de son expérience au Rwanda pendant le génocide de 1994 sans une certaine envie de partager les horreurs, les malheurs et les peurs. Mais la démarche d'Annick va une étape plus loin. Elle ne se contente pas de « raconter » ses impressions de jeune fille de l'époque, mais elle choisit de nous raconter son présent et les quelques années qu'elle a passées en France depuis son accueil par ce pays.

Son livre est parfois difficile à lire. D'origine Tutsi, Annick Kayitesi ne prend pas de pincettes lorsqu'elle nous décrit la façon dont sa mère fut mise à mort sauvagement par des Hutus sans pitiés, de jeunes gens perdus qui se croyaient eux-mêmes face à des bêtes féroces. Et quelles bêtes ! Une mère de famille, ses enfants et ses nièces. Annick raconte tout cela exactement comment ça s'est passé. Tandis qu'à certains passages de Nous existons encore, le récit est descriptif et élancé, les passages les plus sombres de la vie d'Annick Kayitesi sont contés de manière factuelle, méthodique. Et c'est très important.

On connaît les difficultés des rescapés de l'holocauste face au monde « réel », le monde hors des camps. Comment raconter ? Comment faire comprendre l'horreur qu'on a vécue ? Parfois même, il fallait convaincre que cela avait été, qu'on avait vu de ses propres yeux les scènes épouvantables qui se déroulèrent dans les camps de la mort...

Pour Annick Kayitesi, qui a perdu tant de proches dans ce carnage, dont sa mère, sa cousine et son adorable petit frère, Aimé, la vie continue. Elle a terminé ses études en sciences politiques et met un point d'honneur à faire parler du génocide de ce petit état africain oublié... Son style est celui d'une jeune étudiante et ceux qui s'attendent à de la prose victorienne seront déçus. Mais qu'ils se taisent ces insatisfaits. Le livre d'Annick Kayitesi vaut mieux que le meilleur roman, le meilleur essai paru l'année dernière...

Annick Kayitesi a bien comprit qu'il fallait raconter pour que subsiste l'espoir - malheureusement tant de fois déçu - du « plus jamais ça ».

Polo

J'ajouterais, si vous le voulez bien, qu'il existe aussi un très bon documentaire sur le génocide rwandais : Tuez les tous. Réalisé par trois étudiants amis de Annick Kayitesi, il décortique de façon intelligente et originale ce qui s'est vraiment passé pendant ces cent jours macabres. Il est à noter que les actions de la France sont exposées de manière originale et presque pour la première fois... Pas étonnant que le jour de sa diffusion sur France 3 il y a un an de cela, les personnes impliquées choisirent de refuser l'invitation au débat qui suivi la diffusion. Vraiment très bien fait et très instructif sur le rôle de la "maison France".